Culture

The original chapel symbolizes several themes of the Cardinal Cushing era in Boston.

Thomas
Lester

On Nov. 11, 1969, Veterans Day, Cardinal Richard Cushing dedicated St. Francis Chapel located within the Prudential Center in Boston.
Its origins might be traced to the 1947 arrival of the Franciscan Friars in Boston, who came with the intention of establishing a shrine dedicated to St. Anthony, and in 1953, constructed the current one that exists on Arch Street.
Seven years later, in 1960, work commenced on the Prudential Center, which was completed four years later. As early as 1966, Cardinal Cushing recognized it as an ideal location for an ecumenical worship space, and as that idea evolved, it came to be considered an extension of St. Anthony Shrine and would likewise be staffed by the Franciscans.
The chapel was designed by Brother Cajetan Baumann, OFM, who was the director of the Franciscan Art and Architecture Office in New York and, sadly, deceased by the time of its dedication. Executing his plans were entrusted to Thomas O'Connor Company, Inc. of Cambridge. The chapel was often described as "simple in design," could seat 200 people, featured the peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi inscribed on an interior wall, and contained three shrines to St. Anthony, St. Jude, and the Blessed Mother.

At noon on Nov. 11, 1969, a crowd of 400, nearly double its official capacity, joined Cardinal Cushing as he dedicated the new ecumenical worship space. He reiterated his intentions, stating "we hope indeed to make this an ecumenical chapel. We want people of all faiths to come here and speak to God through their own prayers." In fact, the first ecumenical event to be held at the chapel was already scheduled, a Bible Vigil on Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 26 that year.
Present were Father Finian Kerwin, OFM, provincial of the Holy Name Province Franciscan Fathers, and Father Robert Lynch, OFM, the chapel's first director. A schedule of daily Masses was to be published, confessions would be heard daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a priest available at all times for consultation.
Cardinal Cushing also used the occasion to remind people that he intended to retire on Aug. 24, 1970, his 75th birthday, which would make him the first American cardinal to do so, stating, "it's a young man's position."
In 1983, the Franciscans no longer found themselves able to staff both St. Anthony's Shrine and St. Francis Chapel, and so Cardinal Humberto Medeiros, Cardinal Cushing's successor, invited the Oblates of the Virgin Mary to staff the chapel. They had only arrived in Boston that spring to staff St. Clement's Eucharistic Shrine, and from June 1, 1983, to the present, have continued to operate the chapel.
Three years later, upcoming construction plans meant the chapel would be demolished, which forced the Archdiocese of Boston to consider whether St. Francis Chapel should be rebuilt.
Within a few years of its dedication in 1969, it had become a vital part of the surrounding community, and so it was decided to build a new chapel that would take its place. The current 225-seat chapel was built near the entrance to Hynes Convention Center and dedicated by Cardinal Bernard Law on April 28, 1993.
The original chapel symbolizes several themes of the Cardinal Cushing era in Boston. First, he oversaw the physical expansion of the diocese, including the construction of over 80 new churches and chapels. He attempted to give people access to their faith in their everyday lives, and built several workers' chapels, including St. Francis at the Prudential Center, Our Lady of the Railways at South Station, and Our Lady of the Airways at Logan Airport. And, finally, he promoted ecumenism and interfaith cooperation, delivering a landmark address on those topics at Vatican II.
Those who wish to visit St. Francis Chapel can find hours, Mass times, and other information on the chapel website: www.omvusa.org/st-francis-chapel.

- Thomas Lester is the archivist of the Archdiocese of Boston.

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